Growing list of Democrats are boycotting the inauguration

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Growing list of Democrats are boycotting the inauguration

WASHINGTON — More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers are boycotting President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, particularly after revelations of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election and his rebuke of civil rights icon John Lewis on Saturday.

Some members have said they will be protesting in Washington and in their districts instead.

Here’s a list of Democrats who have publicly said they won’t be at Friday’s ceremony:

Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen

“I value our government. I appreciate it greatly. This president semi-elect does not deserve to be President of the United States. He has not exhibited the characteristics and the values that we hold dear,” he said in a statement.

California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard

“I thought long and hard about attending the Inauguration because I value our democracy and respect the office of the presidency, regardless of party. However, the disparaging remarks the President-elect has made about many groups, including women, Mexicans, and Muslims, are deeply contrary to my values. As a result, I will not be attending the Inauguration,” Roybal-Allard said in a statement Sunday.

Georgia Rep. John Lewis

The civil rights icon declared last week that he would boycott the event because he doesn’t see Trump as a “legitimate” president in light of Russian interference.

“You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong,” Lewis told NBC News.

Trump harshly responded Saturday, calling Lewis “all talk” and “no action” and saying he should focus more on “fixing and helping” his district rather than “complaining” about the Russia’s role.

Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison

“I will not celebrate a man who preaches a politics of division and hate. I won’t be attending Donald Trump’s inauguration,” Ellison, who is running for chairman of the Democratic National Committee, tweeted Monday.

California Rep. Mark Takano

“‘All talk, no action.’ I stand with @repjohnlewis and I will not be attending the inauguration,” Takano tweeted Saturday.

New York Rep. Yvette Clarke

“I will NOT attend the inauguration of @realDonaldTrump. When you insult @repjohnlewis, you insult America.”

California Rep. Ted Lieu

“For me, the personal decision not to attend Inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis,” Lieu said in a statement released by his office.

New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler

He announced his decision on CNN’s “New Day” and then issued a statement: “The rhetoric and actions of Donald Trump have been so far beyond the pale — so disturbing and disheartening — and his continued failure to address his conflicts of interest, to adequately divest or even to fully disclose his financial dealings, or to sufficiently separate himself from the ethical misconduct that legal experts on both side of the aisle have identified have been so offensive I cannot in good conscience participate in this honored and revered democratic tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.”

Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva

“I will not be attending the inauguration of Donald Trump as our next president,” the Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair said Friday on the House floor. “My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy, but as an individual act, yes, of defiance at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration, and the actions we are taking in this Congress.”

Michigan Rep. John Conyers

The office of Conyers, the dean of the United House of Representatives, confirmed to CNN he won’t be attending the inauguration.

California Rep. Mark DeSaulnier

“It is with a heavy heart and deep personal conviction that I have decided not to attend the #TrumpInauguration on January 20, 2017,” the California lawmaker tweeted Friday.

New York Rep. Nydia Velazquez

Velazquez tweeted Friday that she will be participating in a women’s march protesting policies that activists say are harmful to American women.

“I will not be attending inauguration of @realDonaldTrump but WILL participate in the @womensmarch on January 21st,” she tweeted.

Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader

“I’m just not a big Trump fan. I’ve met the guy and never been impressed with him,” he told Oregon Public Broadcasting Friday. “I’ll do my best to work with him when I think he’s doing the right thing for the country. But he hasn’t proved himself to me at all yet, so I respectfully decline to freeze my ass out there in the cold for this particular ceremony.”

Missouri Rep. William Lacy Clay

The lawmaker’s spokesperson told the St. Louis Post Dispatch that Clay will be in his home state speaking to schoolchildren.

California Rep. Barbara Lee

Lee said she’ll spend the day “preparing for resistance.”

“Donald Trump has proven that his administration will normalize the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party. On Inauguration Day, I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance,” she said Thursday in a statement.

New York Rep. Jose Serrano

“I will not attend the #inauguration2017 next week- cannot celebrate the inauguration of a man who has no regard for my constituents. #Bronx,” he tweeted Thursday.

California Rep. Judy Chu

“After much thought, I have decided to #StandWithJohnLewis and not attend the inauguration,” Chu tweeted this weekend..

Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez

“I cannot go to (the) inauguration of a man who’s going to appoint people to the Supreme Court and turn back the clock on women and turn back the clock on immigrants and the safety and freedom that we fought for them,” Gutierrez said last month on CNN’s “New Day.”

California Rep. Jared Huffman

“I have decided that instead of attending the inaugural ceremonies in Washington this month, I’ll spend time in California with my constituents making a positive difference in our community,” he wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “From helping to build homes for local families to pitching in on cleaning up flood debris to welcoming new US citizens at a naturalization ceremony — it will be an action-packed couple of days. Stay tuned here for more details.”

Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark

“I support the peaceful transition of power, but I don’t feel that I need to attend the pageantry associated with and for this president,” she told the Boston Globe earlier this month.

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer

“There is unprecedented concern by my constituents about the many threats posed by a Trump administration seeking to implement the President-elect’s policies on health, environment, nuclear weapons and immigration, to name but a few,” he said on Facebook.

New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat

“Many have given their lives and dedicated their lives to working to fulfill Dr. King’s dream and make it a reality, and it is up to us to preserve his legacy and the legacy of President Barack Obama to ensure that we do not go back in time! President-elect Donald Trump is trying to take us back! And the people Trump is appointing– Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions — are trying to take us back!

“That’s why I am not attending the presidential inauguration. Donald Trump and the hate-filled rhetoric that plagued his election simply will continue in his administration. THIS is not Dr. King’s Dream!” Espaillat issued the statement on his Facebook page.

Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal

.@realDonaldTrump: @repjohnlewis stands for best of everything in America. If anyone knows about action not words, it’s him. #ImWithJohn

Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan

“After reading classified Russian hacking doc & @realDonaldTrump offensive tweets to @repjohnlewis I will not be attending the Inauguration.”

Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge

“As I told @JoyAnnReid, I will not be attending #Inauguration. I will be at home in Cleveland. #IStandWithJohnLewis.”

“I wanted to let you know that I am not attending this Friday’s inaugural ceremonies … I will not be part of normalizing or legitimizing a man whose election may well have depended on the malicious foreign interference of Russia’s leaders, a person who lies profusely and without apology, who mimics the disabilities of others, who insults anyone who dares disagree with him, who would demonize an entire spiritual tradition, and who has demonstrated again and again a profound disrespect for women,” he tweeted.

Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree

“At MLK Day dinner in Portland, I announced that I would not attend Trump’s inauguration,” she tweeted.

Kentucky Rep. John Yarmouth

“It’s not my intent to protest the election results or to make a statement about policy. I will not be attending the inauguration because I believe the office of the President deserves our respect, and that respect must begin with the President-elect himself,” the congressman said in a statement.

California Rep. Karen Bass

The lawmaker decided not to attend after conducting a Twitter poll on whether her constituents wanted her to attend.

Pennsylvania Rep. Dwight Evans

“I #StandWithJohnLewis. I will not be attending the inauguration. Russian hacking must be investigated and I do not support the repeal of ACA,” he said.

California Rep. Zoe Lofgren

“I acknowledge the fact that he is the incoming president, but I’m not in the mood to celebrate that fact,” she told the Los Angeles Times.

California Rep. Grace Napolitano

The lawmaker will not be present, according to the Los Angeles Times.

California Rep. Raul Ruiz

“A real president doesn’t attack the press because they ask tough questions,” Ruiz told the Desert Sun. “A real president doesn’t insult and bully celebrities or everyday Americans because they disagree with him. A real president doesn’t use the office to make millions more for his own wealth or his family’s wealth.”

Washington Rep. Adam Smith

“Believe me, I have a lot of statements against Donald Trump, his policies, and the way he behaves,” the lawmaker told The Stranger. “What he said in response to (Rep.) John Lewis’s comments was remarkably ignorant—even for him. (But) I’m not not going to the inauguration as a statement. I’m not going because I’d prefer to be home.”

Florida Rep. Darren Soto

“I am deeply disappointed with Trump’s attacks against civil rights hero John Lewis and will not be attending the inauguration as a result,” the lawmaker told WFTV.

“Considering Mr. Trump’s brand of division and insult, I believe it would be hurtful to my constituents for me to attend the inauguration,” he tweeted.

Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro

“Every American should respect the office of the presidency and the fact that Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States,” he said in a statement. “But winning an election does not mean a man can show contempt for millions of Americans and then expect those very people to celebrate him.”

California Rep. Tony Cárdenas

“After serious consideration, I have decided that I will not stand with Donald Trump during his ceremonial inauguration,” Cárdenas said in a statement. “He has been consistent in his words and actions — he has disrespected countless Americans — women, civil rights leaders, Hispanics, people with disabilities, Muslims, gold star families, African Americans, POWs and more. I feel this decision best represents my family, constituents and country.”

Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Doyle

“I’m going to #StandWithJohnLewis. I won’t attend the Inauguration on Friday,” he tweeted.

North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams

“I cannot in good faith and consciousness pretend to celebrate the inauguration of someone who has spoken so horribly about women, minorities, and the disabled,” she said in a statement. “Instead, I am staying home to continue working toward our priorities and to meet with constituents, many of whom are fearful of what lies ahead.”

California Rep. Juan Vargas

“I will not be attending the Inauguration. Instead, I will be praying for our country and for our community with the people of my district,” he tweeted.

Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle

“After wrestling with this question for the last two months, I have concluded I cannot participate in this Inaugural celebration,” he posted on Facebook. “I do not challenge that Mr Trump won the Electoral College and therefore will lawfully be president. We cannot go down a path in which we do not accept the legitimacy of the choice of the people. In America, it is the people who decide.”

“I accept the decision of the people. I respect it. But I will not celebrate it,” Boyle added.

Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett

“I will not be attending the inauguration this Friday,” he tweeted. “We are sending a message to Mr. Trump. Respect, like Pennsylvania Avenue, is a two-way street.”